Many automotive vehicle bodies have a frame with a pair of vertical pillars on the opposite sides of the vehicle body at the juncture of an engine compartment and a passenger compartment. The pillars are connected by a crossbeam structure at the cowl of the vehicle body forward of an instrument panel. The cross beam structure provides cross car stiffness, assist in managing front and side load impacts and supports the steering column and air bags. As well, the cross beam structure provides support for the dashboard, glove compartment and various instrument clusters. The cross beam structure must have sufficient strength to absorb loading applied to the steering column and forces associated with deployment of driver and/or passenger air bags.
Traditionally, cross-car beams are formed of various flat and tubular structures which are welded together. Each of these structures provide either support for various vehicle interior components or function to couple the cross car beam to the vehicles body. Theses previously known cross car support structures suffer the disadvantages that they are composed of multiple metal structures which are fastened together via multiple weld joints. Each of these weld joints and individual components increase the overall complexity of the structures as well as significantly increases the cost of maintaining dimensional stability. Further, the normal methodology of forming a cross-car beam leaves it difficult to estimate the strength of the structure in dynamic vehicle events.